Passing Glances
by Kimberly T
Summary: 36th in the Life Goes On series: A series of drabbles for the characters of my 'Gargoyles: Life Goes On' series, containing hints of future plot developments. COMPLETE with a final Glance at Elizabeth of the New Orleans Clan.
1. Introduction

**Passing Glances**

A series of drabbles for the characters of _Gargoyles: Life Goes On_

By Kimberly T. (email: kimbertow at yahoo dot com)

For those who weren't already aware, a "drabble" is a piece of writing exactly 100 words in length. (Before anyone else asks, titles don't count in the word length.) Beyond that word restriction, anything goes; it can be a glimpse into a character's mindset, a scene snippet, or whatever.

Each drabble in this series will focus on just one or two characters in my series, on how they're feeling or what they do immediately after the events of "Mating Games 7: Moments of Silence", "Meanwhile, Back in New York: Keeping Watch" or "And in Ishimura: Hot Baths, Hot Sake, Hot Topics". More drabbles will be added as I think of them; I'm hoping this will keep the fans of my Life Goes On series mildly entertained, while I work on some other stories that aren't in the series.


	2. Marie

**Marie **

While everyone prepares for dawn, she approaches Brooklyn and asks coyly, "So where shall we go for our date tomorrow?"

She knows that technically it's still Isabel's turn, since they didn't have a date in town that night; instead, the clans had a funeral for some gargoyle who died in New York. But Marie saw Brooklyn coming out of Isabel's workshop before the funeral started. They spent some time alone together; that counts as a date!

She quite reasonably explains that to Brooklyn, and is affronted when he just shakes his head at her and tells her to go away.


	3. Isabel

**Isabel **

Isabel knows her rookery sister all too well, but she's still astonished and outraged when Marie boldly asks Brooklyn about their next date, right after the funeral for that poor cloned gargoyle Brentwood!

But she's wickedly pleased when Brooklyn says something too low for her to hear, something that makes Marie stalk away in a huff. And even more pleased when he turns to her and says firmly, "Listen, when I feel like going on dates again—which might not be tomorrow, or even the next day… But when I do, you're first on the list. Okay?"

She smiles. "Okay."


	4. Goliath

**Goliath**

A thousand years ago, he'd lost his first mate. After awakening in this new world, he'd thought for a few precious hours that he'd regained her… only to discover how terribly she'd betrayed his trust, and that she was indeed lost to him forever.

Now, his beloved Elisa has betrayed his trust as well. Keeping vital information from him; working with Xanatos to herd the clan to safety, like so many sheep.

He knows she did it for good reasons. He knows she still loves him, and regrets her actions.

He knows that… but it hurts too much to forgive.


	5. Elisa

**Elisa**

She can't remember the last time she felt this terrible. Her husband hates her. The whole clan has probably lost all trust in her, after the way she deceived them. A gargoyle back in New York is dead because she didn't think of a way to get the clones to safety too. And to top it all off, thanks to that enchanted "honeymoon cottage", she might be pregnant now with a half-gargoyle baby that she is nowhere near ready for.

She can't do anything except tell everyone again how sorry she is… and very quietly buy a pregnancy testing kit.


	6. Adam

**Adam**

When he'd first heard of a new clan in New York, he'd viewed it as a godsend. His clan was not alone in the world! And the new clan might have some males for his unmated females!

But he cannot understand Goliath's insistence that his people—with some New Orleans Clan females—return to New York, where the Quarrymen have turned the city against them. And breed hatchlings up there! Like a Jew dragging his children back to Nazi Germany!

Fighting crime in New Orleans, Adam understands the need to take risks sometimes. But he does not understand such… insanity.


	7. Kai

**Kai**

His clan has seen more turmoil in the past year than in the entire thirty years before that he's been leader. Much good has come of the troubles, though; a breeding-age couple, another female and a female hatchling have joined them. The unmated female is currently another source of turmoil, but hopefully that will settle down soon, and her unique liaison to humankind should become a great benefit to the clan.

Now if only Botan would behave honorably when he returns from his temporary exile; that is Kai's largest remaining concern… At least, the one he can publicly admit to.


	8. Malaquita

**Malaquita**

In the old clan, she'd been a warrior; a good one, to be sure, but not the leader or even his second.

After the first terrible earthquake, she had taken charge of the clan-remnant's survival, and continued relations with the village. Ópalo had wanted to be the leader, but had relented eventually, grudgingly. After Ópalo's death, she had led without any argument from Cuarzo.

Now, in this new clan, she does not lead at all… in fact, she is reduced to assistant rookery keeper! The position chafes at her...

But Galena is happy here, and that is what matters most.


	9. Galena

**Galena**

She's so glad to be here in Ishimura with her Mama and Papa… and new playmates! Gargoyles her own age! She doesn't know much of their language yet, but she is learning (even faster than her parents, which makes her feel smug inside.) She's a little sad that these gargoyles don't know who their mothers and fathers are, but the rookery keepers are like parents for them.

She had wanted to be just like Demona when she grew up, but after what Demona did last week… now she wants to be just like her Mama. Or maybe Sakaki; she's very nice…


	10. Fox

**Fox**

The first thing she does upon returning home is kiss her husband, and hug her son. Then she gives their nanny Anne Marsden the evening off, to attend the memorial service for Brentwood in the Labyrinth.

After Alexander goes to sleep, she races David to the bedroom for some "welcome home" sex. Afterwards, she goes down to the private firing range and blows away ten moving targets. Then she demolishes two of the workout dummies that David had made for practicing lethal moves on.

Fox firmly believes in being prepared for trouble… and more trouble is definitely coming their way.


	11. Anne Marsden

**Anne Marsden**

Last year, she lost her husband. Six months ago, her best friend died. Now poor Brentwood is dead, a gargoyle who was just a child inside, and Anne wonders morbidly who she'll lose next. (Please, God, not Bethany!)

Father Sullivan holds a memorial service in the Labyrinth. Anne lets Bethany sit with the gargoyles, and cry on Hollywood's lap. Maggie and Derek are weeping too, but trying to be strong for the gargoyles they basically adopted.

Anne lingers after the service, and when she's alone in the chamber, pulls out _Grandfather Twilight_. Brentwood had loved to listen to that story...


	12. Bethany

**Bethany**

Brentwood is dead! Bethany's mommy drives them to the Labyrinth so she can hug the other gargles and cry with them.

Those nasty bad Qwormy-men made Brentwood dead. Bethany hopes her daddy will put them all in jail.

Then she remembers that she has to say "Uncle Matt" instead of "Daddy." Uncle Puck says sometimes Bethany sees stuff before it happens, like the bad robots. Uncle Matt won't be Daddy for a long time yet.

But he plays with her and brings lemon cookies, so that's good. She can be patient—that means 'wait without whining'—for the rest.


	13. Lexington

**Lexington**

His clone is dead, and Lexington's biggest regret is that he never got to know Brentwood as a gargoyle in his own right. But Rebecca is understanding, and quick to comfort him.

Choosing Rebecca is the best decision he ever made. They're so much alike, they were becoming friends even before he discovered she's LadyHawke! And she's cute, too; she may not like her beak, but he thinks it's perfect.

They'll be good mates for each other, he's sure of it. He's not having any second thoughts.

…Well, maybe one or two, but he's not going to change his decision.


	14. Rebecca

**Rebecca**

Poor Lex, to first have a 'copy' made of himself, then lose the clone before getting to know him! Like losing a rookery brother that you didn't know you had until too late. At least Rebecca thinks it might be like that. So she hugs Lexington and listens to his mutterings, and strokes his scalp and brow ridges. She hopes he'll be happy again by the mating ceremony.

They'll be mated soon! She'll have a mate all to herself, a wonderful male… And to make it perfect, her favorite brother will go to Manhattan with her! She's just so _happy_…


	15. Ursula

**Ursula**

Hudson is a dear fellow, a fine warrior. He'll be a good, comfortable companion to grow older with, but he's still lively enough to fly with her in next year's breeding season and sire the third egg she hopes to bear.

And Goliath is eloquent about how his clan will need a rookery keeper; how much they will need her skills and wisdom in Manhattan.

But New Orleans is her Home! How can she leave where she was hatched, where she's raised generations of hatchlings?

But there might be one more incentive to go to Manhattan… if her plan works…


	16. Jon Castaway

**Jon Castaway**

Gargoyles are evil and must be destroyed. Their entire race, not just the blue-skinned, red-haired female that his family called "The Demon". They're all monsters and the worst of the lot, even worse than The Demon, is that purple giant Goliath… so aptly named after the Hebrew-murdering Philistine.

It was Goliath's actions that made Jon finally realize just how evil gargoyles truly are. It was Goliath who first tried to kill his brother by drowning him, then dragged poor Jason in front of himself—**_itself_**—to use as a human shield when Jon shot at it.

It's all the gargoyle's fault!


	17. Oliver Grimm

Oliver Grimm

He looks at the ledgers for the Quarrymen and scowls. The fledgling organization has lost 46 men over the past month:

Six to jail sentences, for assault on humans.

Five to sheer cowardice, utter loss of nerve (including their 'inside man' in the Aerie Building that Castaway had expressed such confidence in).

Four to extended hospitalization from combat wounds.

Eleven to confirmed deaths.

Twenty to disappearance, vanishing without a trace.

And they've lost millions in equipment as well: Quarryhammers, net-mortars, hover cycles, vans, helicopters…

This particular gargoyle clan is proving much harder to kill than the others he's dealt with.


	18. Demona

**Demona**

She's been caged before, not once but several times throughout the centuries. But this time is different. This time, here in Ishimura, these people don't see her as a demon, or as a threat to the clan. They see her as someone who made a terrible mistake... one they hope can be fixed.

She's not used to that at all.

She stoically accepts the visitors that come both night and day, to teach her Nihongo and Ishimuran ways. It's only when Jiro, the man she nearly killed, limps in to say he's forgiven her… that she breaks down and cries.


	19. Sora

**Sora**

_Baka_, foolish female! Why had she let that accursed Botan turn her away from Yama, her mate and true love?

Now Yama is truly lost to her; there is no way she can compete with that beautiful _gaijin_ Di-Mono. Di-Mono is of Yama's generation, she's proven her worth in battle, and she's suffered through banishment too; the whole clan thinks they're made for each other. And Yama must agree, for even in Di-Mono's current disgrace, he visits her every night.

Sora knows she's expected to choose Anzu now. But she still can't bring herself to accept his invitation to tea.


	20. Yama

**Yama**

He had hoped that after returning from America in triumph, Sora would think him worthy of her affections again… But she had not even been there at the welcoming party. And her behavior since then, even daring to try to coax Kuwarzo away from Marakita when there are single males available, has made it too painfully plain that she will never accept him as a mate again.

Miya and the others think he should turn his attentions to Di-Mono; she is of his age, brave and beautiful, and has suffered the same sort of pain that he has. Perhaps…

Perhaps.


	21. Macbeth

**Macbeth**

The vigil for the dead gargoyle and for the Labyrinth's safety is over; he returns to his current work of teaching at the university, where he can best help the gargoyles by spreading the word about their true nature among the young and impressionable students there. No war or cause has ever been won without enlisting the enthusiasm of the youth.

Yes, wars are won with the enthusiasm of youth… provided that enthusiasm and energy are directed by old men who know how to _plan_.

As Macbeth ponders the next move, he wonders who is making plans for the Quarrymen.


	22. Angela

**Angela **

Angela is very glad that she'd picked Broadway to be her mate when she did. Who could have known that they'd soon be in the midst of so much female competition? But since she and her dear, sweet Broadway are already promised to each other, even that strumpet Yvette has agreed to leave him be.

Broadway is such a kind, caring male; he'll be a wonderful mate… after he loses weight, that is. Unfortunately, that will be harder for him to do while he's grounded (though his wing will regain its strength eventually, someday...**_it must_**!)

Fortunately, she has a plan…


	23. Vinnie

**Vinnie **

Being a mail boy at Nightstone ain't so bad; everyone treats him okay, and yesterday he even hooked up with a girl for a date next weekend. The only part that sucks is being up so early in the morning. Vinnie's a night owl, always has been; that's the reason why he used to work as a night shift security guard. (That, and his employers accepted GED's instead of high school diplomas.)

He wonders how Ms. Destine handled being up in the mornings, before she went to Japan. It's kind of cool, knowing his company's boss is secretly a gargoyle…


	24. Heinrich

**Heinrich **

He's been searching for a full week now, gliding here and there across the city; checking out every lead that his new friends Davis and Carter believe are legitimate gargoyle sightings, and not lies by attention-seekers or criminals looking to displace blame.

Davis told him it's been confirmed that the native gargoyles have left that billionaire's castle. And Heinrich has found evidence of their existence elsewhere in the city: talon-marks on walls they climbed. Stone shards on rooftops where they slept. But he hasn't found the gargoyles themselves.

_Where are they_? He's come so far, he **_has_** to find them…


	25. Sakaki

** Sakaki **

Garena is a sweet hatchling, eager to please and learn. Sakaki is happy to teach her _Nihongo_ and Ishimuran ways… but not happy that Garena insists on calling Marakita and Kuwarzo "Mama" and "Papa". And last night, after learning the term from a human child, she proudly called Marakita "_Okaa-san."_

Sakaki can understand why the Mexicans allowed the practice, with just one hatchling for the two adults to mind. But there are sound reasons for the tradition that hatchlings are children of all the clan. If the other hatchlings start asking who their biological parents are, there will be trouble…


	26. From the Shadows

** From the Shadows **

It's been months since his defeat… since his existence was nearly ended, surviving—if it can be called that—by barest chance. Since he appeared to actually, finally die, so far as his enemies are concerned; at least, he hasn't noticed any of them actively looking for him, as he watches and listens from the shadows.

It's good, that everyone thinks he's gone forever… that gives him a better chance at catching his enemies unaware, when he's ready to deal with them.

Now, he ponders his next move. He has a goal in mind, but first, he needs more resources…


	27. Maggie and Derek

**Maggie and Derek**

The memorial service was yesterday, and most folks in the Labyrinth are far from finished grieving. But Life goes on, and they know they all must eventually move on as well.

The mutates usually go to sleep a few hours before dawn, after ensuring their gargoyles are being minded by an early riser. Maggie and Derek curl up together, with his hand on her swelling belly. He asks, "When is he supposed to start kicking?"

"The fifth month, I think. Have you thought of names yet?" When he says no, she continues, "If it's a boy… how about Brentwood?"

"…Yeah."


	28. Claw and Dana

**Claw**

Back when he was human, he never thought he'd ever seriously hurt anyone, let alone kill. But now… a Quarryman is dead because of him. And what upsets him the most is that he actually has no regrets.

How can he make love to his wife after killing a man, and being glad of it? Is he becoming a monster after all, a beast in soul as well as body?

But Dana won't let him go, just hugs him more fiercely. And when he looks in her eyes, he sees that she understands what he's going through all too well.


	29. Yvette

**Yvette**

She still hopes to win Brooklyn's heart, but in the meantime she has work to do. A genuine challenge: creating mating ceremony clothes for Lexington! She thinks up and discards six ideas in the first night alone.

Then Angela and Broadway come in, and ask her to create ceremonial wear for Broadway. Yvette is happy to agree; this task will be relatively easy! (And it'll be fun to measure Broadway and fit clothing to him!)

Then Angela explains why the outfit must be far too small to fit Broadway now…

It's a terrible idea, but Yvette refrains from saying so.


	30. Broadway

**Broadway**

Maybe he and Angela can't go gliding together right now, but it's sure nice to walk together, at the bayou's edge. They had started walking with Bronx, but he's off following a scent-trail. They're alone, and she's beautiful, with magnolias in her mane.

The wing exercises earlier had been torture. But now the _fun_ exercising begins; she grins, pokes him and shouts "Tag, you're it!" as she dashes into the bayou.

He grins too, as he runs after her. He's not just running; he's chasing his mate, like they're in a breeding season! This is a **_great_** way to lose weight!


	31. Hudson

** Hudson **

He'd been tracking a deer when he'd heard the noise approaching. Now perched up in a tree, he looks on with a smile as Angela runs past below him, with Broadway crashing after her. Ah, the passion of youth… he remembers chasing after his mate like that, both afoot and on the wing.

He'd been hoping to have that experience again, with Ursula. But she is adamant about staying in New Orleans, while he knows his duty lies in Manhattan; not just with his own clan but with the cloned gargoyles he's been teaching. If she doesn't change her mind…


	32. Brooklyn

**Brooklyn**

Alone and deep in the bayou, Brooklyn ponders the last few nights. He's ashamed of how he's been using Brentwood's death as an excuse to get out of dating; claiming a period of mourning for a gargoyle he didn't really know at all. It's poor behavior for a second-in-command… but he'd really needed a break from the situation.

Going on dates with one female at a time is sure better than being fought and fawned over by all of them at once. But still… he's being asked to choose his lifelong mate in just a few weeks! Talk about **_pressure_**…


	33. Father Maurice

**Father Maurice Dubois**

"What is _wrong_ with that Brooklyn?" an outraged clan elder demands. "There are no less than five lovely females eager for his attention, and he spends all his time either alone in the bayou, or talking with his rookery brothers and Robert! _Poo-yaille_, is he gay too?"

"I've been assured he is not gay," Father Maurice calmly assures the elder. "Let him finish dealing with the death of that poor Brentwood in his own way, and soon he will be dating our ladies again." But the priest can't hide the concern in his own eyes. The biological clocks are ticking…


	34. Father John

**Father John Sullivan**

Today's newspaper lists the names of the eight Quarrymen who have been missing since Monday night. The Quarrymen organization is now offering a reward for information on their current whereabouts; a princely sum. Reading the article, Father John Sullivan has no doubt that many phone calls and false leads have been received already.

The poor of his parish could use the reward money, but he does not call the number; he keeps silent, for the sake of innocents below. But now that he knows the dead men's names, he dons his vestments again and says another Mass for their souls.


	35. Robert

**Robert**

It will hurt to leave his protectorate, his clan… But right now it hurts more to stay. It's not just all the aching reminders of what he had shared with Philip; it's that the Manhattan Clan has already accepted him for who and what he is, while there are still too many in his own clan who don't. People still expecting him to take a female mate… as if he hadn't ever tried.

Although lately he's been feeling… noticed. Like someone is secretly attracted to him. But that can't be right, he must be misinterpreting the signals…

Or is he?


	36. Burbank

**Burbank **

Brentwood is dead, gone, never coming back; just like Thailog is gone forever. But Brentwood being gone hurts a lot more than Thailog being gone.

Father John said that Hudson told him about the Star Clan, the heaven for gargoyles. Father John said a heaven is a really neat place, where no one gets hurt or goes hungry, and that somebody named God took Brentwood up to the Star Clan and Brentwood has made lots of friends there already.

Burbank knows he should be happy for Brentwood, in his brother's new home… but his heart just hurts too much.


	37. Hollywood

**Hollywood **

On Halloween, the human kids Jody and Judy had shown Hollywood how much fun it could be to surprise people with water balloons. Since then, he'd managed to surprise and soak Malibu, Delilah and Burbank. He'd gotten Claw, too, but stopped after that when Dana had turned a water hose on him.

He pulls from his secret hiding place the water balloon he'd been saving for Brentwood. He holds it for a moment, then lets it drop to the ground and burst while he breaks down, sobbing. "God, _please_,bring Brentwood back! I promise I won't ever throw another balloon…"


	38. Delilah

** Delilah **

Every day, while locked in stone sleep, she dreams of what happened to her brother Brentwood before her very eyes. Every night, her awakening cries are more screams than roars.

Once the stone shards are shaken off, she retreats to her nest made of blankets and rags. She stays there most of the night, listlessly flipping through picture books and occasionally bursting into tears without warning. But she lets her friends coax her out to the dining hall to eat, to keep her strength up and her developing egg healthy. Brentwood would have wanted her to have a healthy egg…


	39. Malibu

** Malibu **

He doesn't come this way often; he promised to keep it secret. And he has; he never even told Brentwood about the other people that live here.

And he hasn't told anyone else about his other secret… what he and Dana did to that Quarryman. But he needs to talk to _somebody_ about it, about how he feels…

He sends the signal like he was taught, and soon his friend appears. "Greetings, Malibu. We were told about the death of your brother; we are sorry for your loss." Vincent eyes him keenly, then says gently, "Come and talk about it…"


	40. The GTF Rookies

** The GTF Rookies **

Rookie John Davis walks into the precinct with a grocery bag, to be informed that Detective Bluestone wants to talk to him about the gargoyle-sighting case he'd just returned from. "Yes, sir!" as he sets the bag down on James Carter's desk. He flashes a discreet hand sign to Carter before moving on.

Carter quietly adds some printouts to the bag, before nonchalantly heading for the broom closet. Food, bottled water and the daily paper, plus info on the latest gargoyle sightings that they thought might be legitimate. Got to keep their buddy Heinrich supplied and up to date…


	41. Captain Chavez

** Captain Chavez **

Having spilled some coffee in her office, she goes to the cleaning closet to get a mop. Once in there, she notices that the cord for the pull-down ladder to the next floor is dangling freely. A few members of the construction crew had been using that ladder for access to the abandoned library and clock tower above the precinct, when evaluating how much damage had been done to the entire building, but the construction union is still on strike.

She shakes her head, then carefully tucks the cord away before grabbing the mop. And she murmurs, "Plausible deniability."


	42. Xanatos

**Xanatos**

Last year, his greatest ambition had been to live forever. The gargoyles, once they'd served their purpose by enabling him to travel through time and become a 'self-made man', had been amusing at best and nuisances at worst.

Now he looks at the empty parapets and wonders when the clan will be returning home. He wants to help them gain acceptance, and chafes at the restrictions put on him by the once-so-helpful Illuminati.

He'd been advised that fatherhood changed a man's priorities, but this has to be an extreme case.

Then Alexander gurgles and pats his cheek, and he smiles.


	43. OwenPuck

**Owen/Puck**

He dreams of Avalon sometimes, and wakes to find tears on his pillow.

Oberon holds grudges well, and will never lift either binding or banishment. He will likely die in exile, in this mortal shell.

But he chose to defy Oberon, knowing there would be consequences. He could have run and hid elsewhere, but he chose to join the fight for Alexander… even if no one else knows the true reason why.

He's not **_happy_** anymore, but he has a _purpose_. That helps a little.

And he's still a trickster; the best! When he sees this binding as a _challenge_…!


	44. Coyote

**Coyote **

Avalon has always been Home to the Fey. After spending a millenium away from its shores, Coyote was delighted to come back at Oberon's bidding, and breathe in the sweet air almost tingling with magic.

The last seven days and nights on the island have been great; catching up with old friends who've been scattered around the globe, making the acquaintance of the gargoyles that live on Avalon now.

But now, he's starting to get bored. And others have already complained that there are no mortals to play with here, except in Oberon's honor guard.

Bored Tricksters can be dangerous.


	45. Jason Canmore

**Jason **

His session over, he thanks his physical therapist and gets back into the wheelchair. The therapy is exhausting, but it gets his mind off his worries: worries over his brother Jon, who is now—such bitter irony—so determined to destroy the gargoyles Jason now wants to help. (If only Jon would return his calls!)

And he worries over Robyn, whom he hasn't seen or heard from since being freed from prison. There's so little he can do about his troubled family...

But one does what one can; as he wheels past a bulletin board, he posts another P.I.T. flyer.


	46. Robyn Canmore

**Robyn**

She looked over the plan, then all the data that had been gathered; most of it supplied by her new employer, but the last few scraps of information she had acquired herself, while disguised as a tourist.

"Well?" her employer asked expectantly.

She shook her head. "No. It won't work."

He glared at her. "That's not the answer I expected from you."

"You mean, it's not what you wanted to hear," she shot back. "But the truth is, you've too many variables in this scheme; if just one of them goes wrong, it will all fall down around your ears!"


	47. Matt Bluestone

**Matt Bluestone**

Xanatos warned against it, but Matt can't help asking questions, quietly resuming the investigation he'd been forced to drop years ago. He has to know: What happened to Catherine Chandler? What's her secret?

The Martin Hacker stops by and invites himself to lunch. Martin is a little too friendly; too interested in what Matt has been doing lately.

Afterwards, Matt burns all the notes he'd been taking. He doesn't know what tipped the Illuminati off to his investigation, but it has to stop now. He won't lead the Illuminati to Ms. Chandler.

Some mysteries must be left unsolved, for now.


	48. Martha

**Martha**

When Broadway comes into the kitchen, showered and refreshed after his exercise with Angela, Martha smiles as she taps the stewpot with her ladle. "Just in time! The gumbo's hot and ready."

"Thanks; it smells fantastic!" Broadway says with a grin as he holds a bowl out for filling. Martha smiles as she serves; it's good to know her cooking is appreciated.

Some time later, Broadway contentedly burps and sets his spoon down, then looks up at Martha worriedly. "Um… don't tell Angela I had five servings, okay?"

"Why would I?" Martha says with a shrug. "Your body, your business."


	49. Back in Berlin

**Back in Berlin**

A hatchling stands in an empty attic and stares out into the night, as his parents come up the stairs behind him.

Gregor is worried. _Onkel_ Heinrich has been gone for over three weeks now, without any word… Did he reach America? Is he okay?

Helmut tells his son that he's sure Heinrich is alive and well. Gregor's uncle is… very resourceful. Now, why not read one of _Onkel_ Heinrich's stories? The adventures of Johannes await…

Helmut and Gregor go back downstairs, leaving Helga to look out the skylight and worry. Heinrich is indeed resourceful, but he's never been lucky…


	50. An Encounter Down Under

**An Encounter Down Under**

Dingo scowled. "Right, pull the other one, mate. I can believe Bird-Boy there is a gargoyle, even if he's got feathers an' all, because nobody can fake turning to stone at dawn. But if you think I'm gullible enough to believe you're King Arthur, you've been in the Outback too long!"

Just then, the Matrix spoke aloud. "This person's sword is emanating energy of an odd signature, not quantifiable by my sensors."

The redheaded stranger gaped at Dingo. "That voice… it came from your shining armor! 'Tis enchanted, like my Excalibur!"

Dingo rolled his eyes. "Strewth, what a freaky day…"


	51. Elizabeth

**Elizabeth **

Elizabeth has been talking to Elisa a lot recently, partly to comfort (that stubborn Goliath _still_ won't even talk to his mate, let alone forgive her) and partly to advise. The poor human mated with Goliath without really understanding what it means to be a leader's mate.

But there's one subject she hasn't broached yet; next year's breeding season. And what Adam had privately and painfully suggested to Elizabeth several nights ago.

Elizabeth knows that Adam's idea is a practical solution, and in the best interests of the clans. But she just can't talk to Elisa about it. Not yet…


End file.
